The 2022 Panini Capstone baseball card set has been highly anticipated since its announcement in early 2022. Panini’s Capstone set has developed a reputation as one of the most visually stunning and valuable modern baseball card releases each year. Though the 2022 edition just hit the market in late July 2022, prices are already skyrocketing for some of the prized rookie cards and veteran superstars featured in this year’s checklist.

Capstone is Panini’s flagship high-end baseball card product that focuses on capturing the iconic moments and biggest names in the sport each season through exquisite card designs and rare memorabilia pieces. For the 2022 edition, Panini once again delivered stunning cards in a 250-card base set along with several lucrative parallel and short-print inserts that collectors are scrambling to track down. With rookies like Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr., and Adley Rutschman poised for stardom plus legends like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani continuing their dominance, the 2022 Capstone checklist provides fascinating subjects that resonate with today’s collectors.

While boxes of 2022 Panini Capstone retail for around $250-300 each making the product fairly expensive to collect randomly through loose packs and boxes, the individual cards are now selling for substantial sums on the resale market. Here’s a look at some of the early value standouts from this year’s set just a couple months after its official release:

Julio Rodriguez Green Wave Prizm Auto /25 – Rodriguez took the baseball world by storm in his 2022 rookie season, making his Prizm autos among the most in-demand modern cards. An on-card auto of J-Rod numbered to just 25 copies has already risen above the $1,000 mark and some predict it could challenge the $3,000-5,000 range as his star continues rising.

Bobby Witt Jr. Gold Prizm Auto /10 – Arguably the best pure shortstop prospect to debut in years, Witt had a solid rookie campaign and saw his card values explode. His ultra-rare Capstone Gold Prizm auto numbered to a tiny 10 copies is in very high demand and has jumped up near $3,000 in the early going. Expect six figures someday.

Adley Rutschman Orange Wave Prizm Auto /50 – After a few years of hype, Rutschman made his big league debut in 2022 and showed why he’s such a can’t-miss catcher. His Premium Patch auto in this parallel stands out from most others in the set and maintains a price tag around $800-900 for its limited /50 print run.

Mike Trout Green Wave Prizm /25 – Perhaps the safest modern card investment in the hobby, Trout relics and autographs hold immense value long-term. Even his base Prizm parallels dip quite low in numbered quantity, making the Green Wave a true needle-in-a-haystack relic coveted by Trout PC collectors. Currently trading around $750-850.

Shohei Ohtani Red Ink Auto /10 – After back-to-back incredible seasons as a two-way superstar, Ohtani’s mystique has never been higher. His exclusive Red Ink auto from Capstone parallel offers one of the rarest modern Ohtani pieces, price justifiably elevated to around $1,250-1,500 for its sought-after /10 designation.

Fernando Tatis Jr. Gold Wave Prizm Auto /10 – When healthy, Tatis is one of the game’s most dynamic stars. Injuries and suspension have cast some uncertainty in 2022-23. As such, his limited Gold auto has seen a bit of a retreat from 2021 highs, settling near $900 for now but still primed to rebound when he returns to form.

As these initial values demonstrate, Panini Capstone has already cemented itself as one of the hobby’s most valuable modern baseball card sets in just a few short years. While box/case breaks remain the most cost-effective approach, savvy collectors seeking rare singles are willing to pay top dollar knowing Capstone parallels and short-prints almost invariably increase in worth over time as stars’ careers progress. Between the stunning photography, dazzling refractors, and wealth of starpower both young phenoms and legends, 2022 Panini Capstone figures to continue appreciating for years to come as one of the premier releases from the modern baseball card boom.